Pity. Perhaps the overtime situation needs fixing. In that case, the story should be read as widely as possible.

Worse, the one line we are allowed to see…

The Hawaii Department of Public Safety says high turnover and a rigid union contract have hamstrung efforts to rein in unusually large overtime claims.

… suggests a common reporting abuse by referring to “a rigid union contract.” Many writers seem not to understand that it takes at least two parties to enter into a contract. Unions don’t write “rigid” or any other kind of contracts on their own.

We don’t know if this story, by reporter Nanea Kalani, takes that tack because it’s not publicly available. It’s locked up behind a paywall. Google can’t see it.

If the state is stupid about its contract negotiations, then it will have to deal with the consequences. If the state enters into a contract and then restricts head count, it will have to deal with the cost. If the Department is using the union contract as an excuse, one should question the effectiveness of its management.

We don’t know what is going on, unfortunately.

Think of all the good that Civil Beat reporters could do … if only they were set free.